Strawberry Shortcake
by BeyondTheKilljoy
Summary: An old maybe bag lady, a woman who thinks L is a killer, an actual killer, and L. As an old case of L's resurfaces, he has to deal with it - but with more players. Chaos ensues. Please enjoy!
1. Her son?

I sit on the bench, my thumb stroking my upper-lip. My mind runs a thousand miles a minute.

_If Kira is Light, then that would mean he is getting his information from_ _. Does know? Light must be getting it from his computer… Does keep police records on a family computer? And if he doesn't, does Light hack into his computer? If he does hack into his computer, can I trace that?_

As I think of ways to get to allow me access to his personal computer, I hear someone sit next to me. I turn and see an old lady, holding a hairbrush. She turns to me and smiles.

"Hi, honey. My, you remind me of my son." She has the appearance of a bag lady.

"Er… hello?" I say, taking my thumb away from my mouth. She pats my cheek, still smiling.

"My son, he was handsome – just like you."

"What was his name?" I ask, leaning towards her. There is less than a one percent chance of harm coming to me from talking to this bag lady as far as I can tell.

"Why, his name was Ayko. He was such a nice boy. I remember when he got his first job. He was so excited and he would go buy me my groceries at the store. He would always surprise me and buy me strawberries since he knew I loved them."

"Strawberries?"

"Yes – strawberries. I used to make him strawberry shortcake."

"Shortcake? Hmm…." I say, staring at her. I look up to see a campus guard standing behind her. He steps closer to her.

"Ma'am?" he asks.

"Hm?" She looks up, still smiling.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

She stands and as they walk away, she turns to him and says, "My, you remind me of my son."

I look the other way and see Light coming towards me, with some girl. He sees me also. I call out, "Hey Light! How's it going?"

**I know this was really short but I want to know what you think about it since your opinion matters. Please review!**


	2. A phone call

**A/N: This was originally a one-shot but SarySoda gave me an idea that sprouted some more ideas which this story will tell you about. Also, Whitemoor is a real prison near the town of March, which is in England. I do not own that name nor do I own Death Note.**

I watch the screen that shows me Misa without interest. There's no way she's going to break so easily – so I asked Watari to do whatever is necessary to get her to break. As right now, I think of the lady I had spoken to. Matsuda stands behind me, watching Misa also.

_She was obviously out of her mind, the way she acted explains that much. And could she really mean that I was reminded her of her son Ayko? Or was that she says to every man she meets – like the campus guard? Still, the name Ayko brings back memories…could she really mean I look Ayko? Does she really know him? Could she really be his mother?_

_Does she know I'm L? And if she does, does that mean Ayko does to? How does this come back on me if they do know?_

Misa suddenly whispers, "Kill me," I look up from my thoughts. Her head is as bowed as far as it would go with the restraints I had had put on her.

_Why would she go so far to ask for death if she has nothing to hide? Is she really so desperate to protect Light? She must be – which raises Light's chance of being Kira to five percent._

"Just kill me," she says, a little louder than before. She waits a few moments then says, "Yes, kill me,"

My thumb strokes my upper-lip. I pick up a piece of chocolate and eat, wondering if Misa really meant for us to kill her.

I see her nod again. _Who is she nodding to?_

A tear trails down from the restraint we put over her eyes. I see a piece of her hair move _upwards_ like someone had just touched her. I suck in a breath.

_What had just happened? What had I just witnessed?_

Suddenly her head goes limp like she had passed out. A few moments later her head raises again. She cries out, "Mr. Stalker?"

_What?_

Later that night, while Matsuda slept on the couch and Misa slept in her restraints and Light slept in his cell – since he had asked to be confined along with Misa, oddly enough – I asked Watari to keep an eye on them I walked out of the hotel.

It was a dangerous move but if Kira did happen to see me, he would just believe I was another peculiar citizen underneath him. I walked until I found a telephone post. I knew that this was the safest way to contact Ayko.

I punch in the number, and listen to it ring. "Hello, Whitmoor prison. May I help you?" a male voice greets me.

I take in a deep breath and say, "May I speak to one of your prisoners?"

The man pauses for a second, contemplating, and says, "May I ask whom I am speaking to and which prisoner you wish to speak to?"

"My name is Royce and I wish to speak to Ayko Sato." I respond almost instantly.

"Okay, Mr. Royce, I will allow you to speak to Ayko Sato. The line is being connected as we speak. Your conversation will be monitored, I would like to warn you, however."

"That is quite alright." I say. As I hear the line switch over, a female voice tells me that if I wish to continue speaking on the phone I need to insert more money. I do.

"Hello?" I hear Ayko's voice, one which I hadn't heard in a long time.

"Ayko?" I ask, already knowing the answer. I just wanted to make him aware that it was me he was talking to.

"Royce? Is that you?" I hear amazement in his voice.

"Yes, it's me. Um, well I apologize that I haven't called you since you've went to prison, I've just been kind of busy." I say awkwardly.

He laughs and says, "Well, it's great to hear your voice. I've just been sitting in the cell rotting ever since that bastard L got me."

_So he doesn't know I'm L._ I contain a sigh of relief and say, "I'm in Japan right now. My work takes me everywhere." I say the last part carefully.

"You're in Japan? So how do you like my home country? Since you know I enjoy yours, seeing how we met in college."

I let out a short, fake laugh. "Japan is amazing. The city I'm in looks wonderful lit up at night."

"All the cities look great at night." He says. "Hey, you know what I miss?" he blurts randomly.

"What?" I have enough time to let him talk to me before getting to my question. Now it wasn't really of importance, just sheer curiosity. The woman's voice tells me to feed the phone more money again. I put some more in.

"I miss our tennis matches. You always won, but I loved go to the tournaments to play you."

"Yes, but you were always a good match for me." I say. "Well, today, I _think _I might have ran into your mother."

"Really? Why do you think that?"

"Since she said I reminded her of her son Ayko and I don't think that's a very common name." I avoid mentioning that she was a bag lady – he didn't need to be worrying his mother like that.

"It's not." He admits. "Well, what was her name? My mother's is Hiroko – which isn't really that common either."

_Dammit, her name._ "I don't know this woman's name, but I could always ask her if I see her again."

"Okay, then you can call me again and let me know."

"Yeah, I'll do that…" I say, trailing off.

"But before you go, I need to tell you something that has been kind of bothering me." He says. The telephone demands more money and I give more to it.

"Okay – tell me." I say.

"Remember when you used to keep that journal?" _It wasn't a journal – it was my thoughts on all the cases I solved, _I say silently.

"Yes?"

"Remember how it got burned in that fire I caused by accident because of my smoking?" I was secretly grateful it got burned in the fire, since I knew it was stupidly dangerous of me to keep it. I just wouldn't get rid of it and the fire did it for me. I didn't start another one after that.

"The one that burned all of your books – how could I forget?"

"Well… I kind of looked in it before the fire… I didn't want you to be pissed, so I kind of let it burn in the fire. You don't have to tell me about any of that stuff you wrote in there and don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"Okay…" I say in a daze. My mind had just kicked into hyper-drive.

_If he read that book then he knows all about every case I solved up to there. What does he mean by my secret? Does that mean he really does know I'm L? Or does he think that I was writing about crimes I had committed? That is highly possible, considering I didn't mention when one was solved – just what I thought of what the criminal did. Could he have told his mother's his suspicions? Did he even tell his mother about his peculiar "friend"? If he did, it wouldn't be too hard for her to realize that was me at the campus. Was what he told what made her slightly insane? Was that just an act so she could see how I responded to the name Ayko? WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY MY SECRET?_

"Well, I guess you have to go know. I hope you can call me again and find out if that was my mother." He says, then hangs up.

Now I'm desperate to find that woman again and learn her name. It's no longer sheer curiosity, but a priority.

**I hope you enjoyed and I will update again soon I promise! Please tell me what you think of the story so far. Any type of review welcome.**


	3. Campus gaurd

I watch the monitor – now it was split up into three categories. Mr. Yagami had also asked to be confined. I watch all three prisoners while eating my ice cream. Matsuda stands behind me, also observing the screen. I look at the time – it's the exact time that I visited Light at the campus. If I was right, that campus guard should be there now. I finish up my ice cream and clear my throat.

"Matsuda, I am going to leave for a few hours – perhaps more. I want you to watch these three but don't communicate with them unless they start the talking. Watari will be here also to make sure that you do nothing stupid." I stand and walk past him, his face unbelieving at what I had just said. I ignore it and walk out.

Once at the campus, I'm not sure how to find the guard. It wasn't as if I had gotten his name before he took that woman away. I walk aimlessly, just hoping to spot him. I spot many people, and receive many odd looks myself.

_Am I wasting my time? There is less than a three percent chance that that guard actually knows where the lady is now, much less her name. Even if he does know where she is, then I will have to get her name and then if she knows anything about me. That will be trouble in itself since there is a seventy percent chance that she actually is out of her mind. And if she is, then I won't be able to get a name out of her, or if she actually knows who I am. Even if I get a name out of her, how will I know that is her true name?_

I come to the entrance of the library and see the guard standing on the steps, talking to a girl that has multiple books in her hands. They seem to be finishing up their conversation and as I get closer she thanks him and bids him farewell.

He looks up and sees me. "Hi," I say, coming closer.

"Hello. Can I help you, sir?" he asks very politely.

"I was here earlier, a couple days ago. I was talking to a lady you escorted away. Do you remember?"

He laughs and says, "Of course I remember. A strange old lady talking to a man sitting like – oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude." He stumbles off in his sentence, embarrassed of his mistake.

I smile at him, or give my best imitation of one. "It's quite alright – I know I look peculiar sitting like that. Do you remember her name or did she give you an address or some way to get in contact with her – that lady?"

He looks at me suspiciously and asks, "Why would you want to contact her?"

_So he can give me contact with the woman. Now how do I get it?_

I let my brain whir a good idea for a few seconds, and just stare at him. He fidgets, uncomfortable from my gaze. I do a semi-jump and pretend I had just come from a daze. "Oh! I'm sorry – of course you would want to know why I would want to contact her."

I pull out of my wallet, and flip it over to the one picture I have – me, when I was much younger and just went into Watari's care. I was eight; the picture looked somewhat like me but still could be mistaken for someone else.

"She told me that I looked like her son and then she showed me this picture. You came and took her away before I returned it to her. She said it was one of the few that she had of her son and that it was very special to her and that is why she always carried it around with her so I just wished to return it to her." I say sympathetically.

His expression clears up – he took the bait. He says, "Can I ask your name?"

"Of course – I'm Ryuzaki. What is your name?"

"My name is Ogai. And I'm going to tell you where she is since you seem trustworthy."

_He really is foolish, isn't he?_ I remark in my mind.

He continues on, not noticing my expression shift slightly as I thought. "Well, after I had taken her away, I asked her where she was from. She gave me an address, which I wrote down, and I took her there myself. I was slightly afraid that it wasn't her home – you saw the way she acted – but upon knocking on the door, a young lady came to it. She assured me that the woman lived there and thanked me for bringing her home."

"May I have the address?"

"Of course, just make sure that picture gets back to her." He pulls a pen off his shirt pocket and a napkin out of his pocket. "Sorry about the napkin – it's the only thing I have to write on."

"It's quite alright." I say, my mind preoccupied on now how to approach the woman.

He hands me the napkin, I thank him and we part.

Later that night, Matsuda was yet again asleep on the couch. I press a button on my laptop and a giant calligraphy W pops up on my screen.

"Watari?"

"Yes?"

"Can you connect me to Wedy?"

**Please tell me what you think of the story so far by pressing the word that starts with R down below!**


	4. Wedy and Memories

**A/N: March is a real town in England.**

"Wedy?"

"Ramon?" she used the first name that I had ever told her – not sure what to call me on such an unusual phone call.

"Please refer to me as Ryuzaki."

"Of course, Ryuzaki. May I ask what you require?"

"I am sending you a plane ticket to Japan. I need your help on surveillance on a house." I don't tell her the details – she doesn't ask questions on specifics. It had always worked that way. "You are scheduled to arrive here in two days. Once you are off the plane, I will contact you for further instructions. Have I made my directions clear?"

"Yes, Ryuzaki."

"Then you will receive a call two days from now from me. Thank you."

"It's no problem," she says, seeming to mean it.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Ryuzaki."

I hang up the phone and go back to staring at the monitor. My mind goes back to a memory.

"_That was a good game – even if you won like always." Ayko says to me. I look back at him wondering just how much he's hiding. He's the main suspect, and the percent of it actually being him is over thirty. I shove the case out of my head for a few moments to talk to him._

"_At least I don't throw the match." I say as I open the door to our joint dorm room. I hated staying in the dorms but I had to keep a close eye on Ayko. He goes to his room and I hear the shower start up moments later. I open my laptop and see a giant calligraphy W light up my screen._

"_Yes?" I say._

"_I would just like to report that another body has been found."_

_I throw a look at Ayko's door. How could he have done it last night? I was up all during the night and he didn't come out of his room once. "Where?"_

"_Just outside of March. I will send you the autopsy report along with pictures soon."_

"_Thank you."_

_The screen goes back to blue. I lean on my knees, lean forward. Ayko was more than likely the murderer. He fit my profile perfectly and all the women murdered he knew. Perhaps not personally, but still he was connected to them. He was the only one they all had in common. Ayko didn't seem intelligent to throw in a few wild cards – even if he was smart enough to leave no traces at the previous scenes. There was less than a one percent chance that there would be traces of the killer at this scene._

"_Ayko? I'm going out." I call as I slip on some tennis shoes._

_I leave, and walk to a park that I liked to go to so that I could think. I sit on a bench and go through the last eighteen murders in my head. The only person who fit the profile was Ayko – but the evidence was so unsubstantial that we could move to arrest him. I NEEDED more evidence. _

_The night falls around me and I stand up to go back to my dorm. I am across the street when I notice the fire trucks. Ayko stands there, talking to a fire officer. The officer walks away and I walk over to Ayko._

"_What did I miss?" I ask him._

_He looks kind of like he did something wrong. "I was smoking in our dorm room and I kind of… caught the room on fire."_

"_Good job, Ayko." I say as another officer walks up to us._

_We turn to hear what he has to say. He coughs then says, "Fortunately it seemed that only one room was burned. The other is just smoke-infested."_

"_Which room was burned?" I ask._

"_The room that you first walk into – which one of your rooms was that?"_

"_That would be Royce's." Ayko says, looking sheepish._

_I look at him, trying my best to look upset. Honestly, it didn't bother me too much except for the fact that it would make it slightly harder to watch Ayko._

_The officer looks at me and says, "I'm sorry, son. I'm sure they'll find you another dorm to room in, however."_

_A thought occurs to me – if my room was the one that burned, then that means that everything in the room was burned. My journal was burned. I can't decide whether to be happy or upset._

"_Was everything burned?" I ask, a strange mix of hope in my chest._

"_Yes," the officer says. "There was nothing but ash in that room."_

**If you've read this far, you should already know what I'm asking for. Press the highlighted text below!**_  
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	5. Following an unknown woman

It's late when I call Wedy. I call her from Matsuda's phone – he's asleep on the couch and won't notice.

She picks up on the third ring. "Yes, Ryuzaki?"

"Have you landed?"

"Yes," she replies.

"Okay. I want you to go to the lost and found section. There is a green military book bag there. It holds the instructions for what you do next. If you have any questions, do hesitate to contact me. But do so on line three."

"I will," I hear her bump into someone and pick something up.

"Do you have it?"

"I do,"

"Then you will know when I contact you again."

"Goodbye, Ryuzaki," she says. The phone goes dead.

I put it back on the table and watch the clock. At a quarter to three, I turn on my personal laptop. The screen is white, until I switch over to the camera's I had Wedy installed. They're already in where I specified – she works fast, as usual.

I see the old woman's room – she's sleeping. There is no doubt that she is the bag lady I met on the campus. I watch her for a few seconds then switch to another camera. It's her kitchen – she has strawberry shortcake on a platter. Did that mean that her Ayko was still there to enjoy it?

I switch to the next camera – the stairway. There's a person walking up it – is that the woman that answered the door for the guard? She leaves the camera's view so I switch to the upper hallway.

She is just going into the woman's room so I switch again. She walks in quietly and goes up to the old woman's bed. She pulls the covers around the woman and kisses her on the forehead. She leaves. I watch her go, switching cameras when needed. She leaves the house in a burgundy van.

I speed dial Wedy's number.

"Ryuzaki?" she sounds confused. "This is before the time that you said you would call."

"I am quite aware, but something has come up. Are you still near the house that I told you to put cameras' in?"

"I was just about to pull away from it – why?"

"Do you see a car leaving the house?"

"Yes,"

"Follow it. Report back to me what you can find – and try very hard to get a name."

She can hear what I'm really saying – do whatever is necessary to get the younger woman's name. "I will do everything I can." She says, a double meaning added to her words.

I hang up, not bothering with saying goodbye.

_Who is that younger woman? Did Ayko ever mention a sister? Is she related – a cousin? Or is she a close friend or past relationship? Could she just be hired to take care of the old woman?_

I let these questions run through my mind while I monitor the house. It seems like only the two women occupy it. The younger one probably cleans it, since it looks pretty tidy. There were a lot of knick-knacks and it appeared one of them were a porcelain doll collector.

The phone rings after two hours of analyzing the house. I immediately answer it, knowing Wedy has information.

She doesn't wait to start with pleasantries. "It seems she works the night shift at a nursing home. The people seem to know her there and she seems well acquainted. I would say she has been working there awhile."

"Did you get what I asked for?"

"Natsuki Ishii."

"Thank you. Keep watch on her while she as at her job. Follow her home discreetly and see if she goes anywhere else. Update me if there is anything of interest."

"Of course."

I close the phone – Natsuki Ishii. So that rules out the sister theory. She could still be a relative that is distant however. I pull up a white screen with a giant calligraphy W on it.

"Yes?" Watari's calm voice comes through the speakers.

"Watari – I need you to research a woman by the name of Natsuki Ishii. She works at a nursing home on the night shift apparently and I am sending you her address. I would like you to get as much information on her as possible and give it to me."

"Of course, sir. Is there a specific time you need it?"

"As soon as possible."


	6. Encounter with a known woman

**A/N: I did some slight plot manipulation of the original Kira plot-line. **

I overlook the papers Watari had given me just two hours ago. Natsuki Ishii – the name Wedy gave me. She is twenty two – just a year under Ayko's age. It seems she finished a community college two years ago. So Ayko didn't meet her at school…

She had a sister that died when Natsuki was nine and two brothers. The last one died a few years ago. Both of her parents are deceased…so Ayko isn't her intermediate family.

Did he hire her to take care of his mother? Is that woman even Ayko's mother? Though the papers say she lives in the same place the woman told the guard, it doesn't say the woman's name.

Could they have been in a relationship? But then, why would Natsuki keep care over the mother of a murderer? Did she care that much for Ayko? But Ayko never mentioned that he was in a relationship…

I realize I'm overanalyzing again. All I need to figure out is how to get Natsuki to let me into the house to question the woman. Natsuki definitely knows the woman's name and maybe she can help me figure out how to get the woman to talk. I need to know if she knows that I am L. But then I would need to get Natsuki to trust me… how do I do that?

First I need a reason to show up on her doorstep. I could always say that I know the woman and need to talk to her but I highly doubt any one would allow me near someone else unless I knew that person's name. It's simple etiquette that I tend not to follow.

Perhaps I could get the old woman to answer the door. But if I came while Natsuki was away, then I might not even get the woman's name. Could I plan it to where I was on the doorstep as Natsuki came back from her job?

And what would be my reason for seeking out the woman again? Could I tell them partial truth – that I met her "someplace" and she said something about Ayko – which is the name of a person I went to college with? Would they believe that? I know the woman could vouch for me…

What if she said that she met me on a campus? Could I pull off saying that I was visiting my brother? And if I did say that could they figure out I have no brother?

I hear Matsuda come in – so it must be six. Natsuki gets home around seven o'clock… should I try today? Matsuda starts talking to me.

"Ryuzaki, the murders have started up again – that means we can let Light, Misa, and Mr. Yagami go!"

I sigh, looking down at the coffee that Watari also brought me. I had barely touched it. I picked it up and start sipping it now. "Let's watch them…just for a little longer."

He starts to argue. "But, Ryuzaki –"

"I have my reasons, Matsuda. And I need to leave as of right now."

"So what do I do?"

"Under no circumstances do you tell Misa or Light that the killings have started again."

"What about Mr. Yagami?"

"I believe it is best to not inform him either." With that, I leave.

Once standing at the door, I wait until I see the car pull up before I even open the screen to knock on the door.

As I bang upon the door, Natsuki walks up. "Um, excuse me? Who are you and what do you want?"

_Here goes nothing. _


	7. Natsuki and Hiroko

"I'm here to see the woman you live with." I say extremely blunt. She does a double take.

"You can't see her." She goes blunt as well.

"Why not?"

She struggles for an answer. She can't give me one before the door opens. The old woman looks out and sees me and Natsuki. "Oh! Natsuki I see you've met the wonderful young man I got to talk to a few days ago."

"You know him?" she seems stunned. I keep a smile in, smug that I have won.

"Of course. I met him while I was walking. We…we talked about strawberries and shortcake and Ayko."

"…Ayko?" she seems really confused now – _is Ayko not real? Have I just been duped? Did I push myself into something I really didn't need to? _"You know Ayko?" she looks at me.

_So he is real. Huh. Now is he the Ayko I know?_

"She told me about him. I was interested since we didn't get to finish our conversation. I was wondering if I could talk to her… However, I didn't realize she had a daughter. My name is Royce."

She looks stunned again – it seems to be a pretty definite expression on her face. "I – I'm not her daughter. I mean, not in blood. My name is Natsuki."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." _Just hurry up and get on with it dammit! I need the woman's name._

"Oh, and this is Hiroko."

Hiroko.

Ayko's mother.

Hiroko.

I bow to Hiroko and say, "It is also nice to formally meet you."

Suddenly Hiroko laughs and says, "Why don't both of you come in? And, Royce – what a peculiar name, I would have thought you were Japanese. Anyway, you can tell me why you are interested in knowing more about my son."

I nod as I step inside. She shoos me to the living room where I take the recliner. Natsuki stares at me sitting while Hiroko runs to fetch something.

"Is that…comfortable?" she fidgets.

"Yes, quite. It helps me to think."

"Oh." I know there is more she wants to say but she's stopping herself from doing so because of manners. There is a…ninety percent chance it is something to do with Ayko.

"What is it, Natsuki? You should know that keeping questions to yourself kills your curiosity."

She looks at me, bits her lip, and then blurts it out. "Why do you want to know about Ayko? Who are you? Why do you care about him or us? Do you know –" Her voice sounds desperate.

"Natsuki, it isn't polite to ask so many questions at once. Take a breath, girl." Hiroko comes back into the room carrying a tray that is carrying three platters.

Of strawberry shortcake.

"No, it is quite alright. I was meaning to get to why I wanted to see you again, Hiroko." I said her name with a relish – still extremely pleased with how well everything was going.

"Well, I didn't think you wouldn't, sweetheart. Here have some shortcake and tell Natsuki and I everything."

She digs into the shortcake then. Natsuki eats it willingly, and I eat it as well. It makes me crave some coffee.

I cough after eating two bites, remembering they were waiting for me to speak. "Well, I was in college with a Ayko…in London. Did he go to college in London?"

When she heard my name, her expression holds astonishment. She quickly covers it after it shows a flash of greedy want. What did she want? Natsuki speaks this time, her voice careful. "Yes, he did. He did mention a Royce… didn't you say that was your name?"

"Yes, that is my name. And well, when I met Hiroko and she said something about a Ayko, I thought I should give him a call. I haven't seen him in such a long time – he told me that his mother's name was Hiroko."

"Well, yes, we can be fairly certain that my Ayko is your friend." _Friend – another lie. _

"Did he say anything about me?"

"Not to me, sweetheart. He and Natsuki are – were extremely close. She told me everything that he told her to tell me when he wrote to her."

Natsuki begins picking our plates – they are all clean. She speaks looking down. "So what brought you to Japan, Royce?" her voice holds something strange.

I look at her, and say very carefully, "My work brought me here."

Hiroko looks at me and smiles. "Oh, where do you work?"

I take a deep breath and say, "I'm working with the police force."

I hear the shattering crash as Natsuki drops the plates. Her face is extremely knowing. Also, as she looks down again she has scary look on her face. What is wrong with her…?

_I'm screwed._


	8. Intelligently Insane

I stare at her – my poker face completely on. She suddenly forces out a laugh – I see her poker face come into play. "I'm sorry, Hiroko-san. I'll clean it up. Hey, isn't it time for you to take a nap?"

_So you don't want Hiroko-san to know what you do?_

Hiroko suddenly jumps and says, "Yes, dear, I believe it is time to take a nap. It was nice talking to you, Royce. I hope you have all of your questions answered, sweetheart." She stands up while speaking.

"Yes, thank you very much, Hiroko-san." I nod my head instead of bowing, because I am sitting.

"Feel free to stop by anytime. Any friend of Ayko is welcome." She turns to leave, and I can think of nothing to say to make her stay. Or to keep her from her nap.

I stand, trying to pretend to leave. _I need to know exactly what she knows. She knows something – is it what is written in my journal? That I'm L? That I'm not really Ayko's friend?_

"Royce, there is a broom in the closet near the doorway. Could you get it for me? And the dustpan as well?" she asks, her voice tight. She has a difficult time maintaining her casual face.

"Of course." I say as I walk past her. _She took the bait…and there is an eight-five percent chance that she will tell me about all myself in her eyes._

I feel her slightly bristle as I hand her the broom I had retrieved from the closet. I go down with the dustpan, all of the shards of plates being picked up.

I go to throw the trash away, and Natsuki takes the dustpan away from me. She walks away, to put it up with the broom and calls back to me, "Royce… I still have some questions. Is it okay if you go sit back down?"

I look at the time on my cell phone – it is near eight o'clock. I can afford a little more time for this woman.

I go sit back down and wait for her. She comes in and sits as close as across from me as she can on a loveseat. I took a recliner. Her expression is nervously gleeful and she seems to be having body spasms. She coughs and then sets me with a stare. "You and Ayko shared a room, right? He told me about the fire and what he read in your journal… What are you, Royce?"

Her questions are blunt and it catches me off guard. I look at her, thinking about the best way to respond to her question without revealing anything. _I already told her that I knew Ayko…so saying we were roommates is harmless. And I can feign stupidity on the last question. It is too open-ended that most people won't understand it, right?_

"Ayko and I did share a room in college. And as for my journal…what do you mean?"

Her eyes hold a little wariness, almost like I was a hunter that had just caught her. I lean closer to her, making my face about as trusting as I can. _I need to know what she knows about my journal._

"Ayko called me after the fire…" suddenly her eyes go distant. I feel as if I'm the first person she has told this to. "He said he finally thought he found someone 'like' him. He seemed so ecstatic, but I warned him to be on his guard. And I was right, wasn't I? Rooming with a murderer is why you chose to work with the police, right? Because of thinking he could trust someone…" Natsuki isn't even talking to me anymore.

_What the hell does she know about the Ayko case? What did he tell her?_

"It was an awful shame what he did but that isn't why I chose to go with the police." I was about to continue speaking but she cuts me off.

"Is it because what you did? You felt so guilty, didn't you? I know the feeling, so don't worry, I'm not being mean…"

"I haven't done anything." I say, suddenly feeling guilty. Everything wrong I have done was to stop a greater wrong, I justify to myself.

She throws her head back and laughs. "Well, Royce, you can lie to anyone you want, but you can't lie to me. Ayko told me about you – he even mentioned some things you wrote!"

I can't say anything, but it seems like some mental blockage snaps in her mind and she continues to speak. "The way you spoke in that journal… it was just like Ayko spoke to me. It was almost like I was Ayko's journal. No, you two sounded extremely close. The only difference is that Ayko committed more of his crime than you did yours." Her face has become more than slightly psychotic and her smile looks twisted. It reminds me oddly of Ayko when he was caught.

_This woman is insane and stupid. This must be dangerous – she must be dangerous. She knew about what Ayko did before we caught him…and she never said a word. She must…she needs help. But how can I arrest her…? If I arrest her, then Ayko will most likely realize it. Hiroko-san would call him and then he would realize I'm part of the police… and how can I know she isn't just insane? Am I just in a house full of crazies?_

"What? You knew about the murders before the police?"

"Of course." Suddenly she grins wickedly and moves closer to me. She starts to laugh. _She is definitely insane… but does that mean she really didn't know before the police. _"You want to know the only difference between me and the police?"

I lean closer and say, "What difference?"

"He killed more than you did." I control the vile in the back of my throat – I can't believe they think I'm a natural murderer… Then I realize what she is saying.

_I had thirty murders in the journal… the police only found twenty-two bodies. There are eight more victims._

She starts talking again, her laugh becoming more and more sadistic. "And they never found those alive…" she says in a singy-songy voice.

_What the hell? I can't arrest this woman. She's too insane – she'd say I was a murderer and it would be her word against mine. And very few police trust "L". She's insane. She's not stupid, but she is intelligent. She played her cards perfectly – now how to I make the next move?_


	9. Infatuation Fraud

**A/N: I may have done some plot manipulation and changed a few things from the original in this one. I'm sorry but I had to – still, please enjoy and tell me what you think! **

As I walk away from the house of loonies, I work my brain to figure out what had just occurred.

_There is an old woman in there living with a possible accomplice to murder. If Natsuki does not really know about Ayko, then what is her purpose for acting insane? It is obvious she knows about the journal…I can only be grateful it was misinterpreted. If she knew that I was L, then it would have never come out that there were more victims._

_Is there even any more victims? Why would she lie? But if she is truly insane, then can I believe what she is telling me? She could have hallucinated the last few victims and said she knew what he did when it came out he was the killer…but how would that explain how she knows about my journal?_

I come upon the new hotel we were staying at, still lost in thought.

_And why would the general public or anyone leave an old, nice, woman to an insane younger woman? But why would Ayko tell someone who was insane? How could he possibly trust her?_

_If she really is insane, was she once not? Then that could explain why Ayko could place trust in her…but not why he would. What could have snapped her mental stability? Was it what Ayko told her?_

_If it was, then why would she respond to believing I'm a 'killer' like that? Could she possibly be attracted to men who murder? I appear much like a queer, but Ayko was quite strange himself. We were very similar so does that mean that she is responding to me that way because I remind her of Ayko?_

I get into the elevator after checking in. A middle age woman is also riding; she is wearing too much makeup and shies away from me when I get on.

_How can I tell if she is actually insane? Could I trace her past to find the source of her insanity? Now, could I get Ayko to tell me everything about it?_

_How could I talk to Ayko without having a person listening in? I'll have to call later… I can use the power of L, and tell them not to inform Ayko who he is talking to. But I know that England prison is pretty strict; would they actually allow me to talk to him in private?_

I leave the elevator and shuffle to my hotel room. Matsuda and Aizawa are there – they turn when to look at me. I go to my chair and sit. Matsuda starts talking, "L – Ryuzaki, it's been a month and a half. The killings are still happening!"

Aizawa chimes in, which is odd for him. "We can't keep them in there anymore. We have to let them go; the criminals are be killed again."

I take a sip of cold coffee that I had left there earlier today. "Yes, I agree."

_Ayko, who is Natsuki? If I question you about her, will you answer me? Can I question Hiroko?_

"Ryuzaki, you have – oh, you said yes." Matsuda says.

"Yes, I did. Now, before I let them go, I have one more test." I say as I push the button to talk to Yagami-san. "Mr. Yagami?"

_Ayko what have you been hiding in faith to Natsuki? Is she doing this by choice or did you break her?_

"Are you letting us free?" he lifts his head tiredly from his hands.

"Yes, that is what I plan on doing. But first I need –"

"So Light isn't the killer?" he looks extremely hopeful and happy to believe Light is not Kira.

"Well, that is what I was just about to say. But first I need your help to prove he isn't."

"How can I help prove that?"

_How can I prove that Natsuki is insane? She had no problem working with the old that I could gather._

"I need you to shoot your son in the face in front of Misa Amane."

I hear Matsuda and Aizawa gasp and Yagami-san looks at the camera and through it to me like I've completely lost my mind.

"What? How will that prove anything?" Matsuda basically shouts at me.

"It will only get Light killed!" Aizawa raises his voice, but does not shout.

"And it will traumatize Misa-Misa!" Matsuda adds.

Everything gets silently as everyone besides me questions Matsuda's sanity. I know that he is just naïve.

_Perhaps I could get Hiroko to tell me about Natsuki…? Hiroko doesn't appear to be completely out of her mind, like the first encounter. She just seems naïve – so I could use her to gain information about Natsuki and she'll never expect anything. I could also tell her not to tell Natsuki. But what would be my excuse for doing that?_

"No. If Light is Kira, then he will not hesitate to kill anyone in a life or death situation – even his own father. You truly believe Light is innocent, Mr. Yagami. If he is not, you will lose your life. If he doesn't kill you, then he will hear the sound of an empty gun being clicked and his name will be cleared of Kira." I explain to them what had been my course of action from the beginning – when the killings started happening again.

"But what happens if Light is Kira? And Mr. Yagami dies?" Matsuda asks.

"I have someone there to apprehend Kira and Misa if Light is Kira."

"What about Mr. Yagami? Do you even care –" Matsuda starts to raise his voice again.

"No, Matsuda. Be quiet. I will do so; I have to clear my son's name or I will have no rest." Yagami-san says.

"Thank you. I will have to set up things and give you the details, but it will take place in the next few days. I will contact you when it is ready. I presume you wish to stay in that cell until then?" I ask.

He nods and I let go of the button. Matsuda tries to hold his tongue, I can tell, but he asks a question anyway. "What will happen to Misa if Light is Kira?"

I cough and say, "Then Misa will be questioned."

Aizawa sighs and says, "I don't know why that girl has gotten herself involved in this. I don't see what Light sees in her."

"I guess they just have a strange love. Some people are like that." Matsuda says.

_Love. Infatuation. That could be the reason – I could tell Hiroko that I am interested in Natsuki and wish to know more about her before I pursue… but then Hiroko would expect me to follow up on my wish. I also need to contact Ayko to see what Natsuki's and his relationship was. Hiroko would be suspicious if I was to pursue Natsuki and she and Ayko were past lovers. Especially since I'm supposed to be Ayko's "friend"._

I say to Matsuda, "Matsuda, please take out your cell phone now."

He takes it out and I snatch it from his hands. He has an unbelieving look on his face. I dial Watari's number and wait for the ring to start. He picks up. "Sir?"

"Watari, I need a secluded place for Mr. Yagami to take his son and Misa. But, I need it to be a place where I can watch. Or put the cameras in the car. Yes, I also need to supply Mr. Yagami with a fake gun – that way no mistakes happen."

"Of course, sir." Watari speaks with his quiet, always listening voice and then hangs up. I don't hand back Matsuda's phone. I put it in my pocket, so that way I could make a call tonight.


	10. A Prank

I get Watari to connect the voice synthesizer to Matsuda's phone. I then dial the number to Whitemoor prison – the same male voice greets me.

"Hello, Whitemoor prison for men. May I assist you?"

"Hello, sir, my name is L." I hear him gasp on the other end. "I would like to speak to one of your prisoners privately. As in, I would not like for a guard to be listening in."

I hear his voice sound very upset. "Listen, I don't know what type of joke you are trying to play but…it isn't funny. You could be arrested for impersonating such a high police authority. Good night."

The phone clicks off and I sigh. I didn't think it would be that easy but I wanted to try. I pull open my laptop and phone Watari.

"Sir?"

"Watari, the number I just phoned from Matsuda's phone was Whitemoor prison. I would like to tap into the computer they have there."

"Of course. I am connecting to you right now."

"Thank you, Watari."

"You're welcome."

My screen goes white and I know the L is on that man's screen. I press the voice synthesizer microphone that is almost always connected to my laptop. I take in a breath and begin.

"Hello. This is L. I called a few moments ago, but, if I recall correctly, you thought that I was pulling a prank."

I dial the number on Matsuda's phone again. I let it ring twice.

"Your phone should be ringing now. I advise you to pick it up. I will continue speaking from there."

I give the man no chance to answer me before I cut off my connection. He picks up the phone.

"Good. You did as I instructed. Now as I said before, I would like to speak to one of your prisoners privately."

"Of course, I'm so sorry for not believing you earlier. Please, which prisoner do you want to talk to?" he says nervously. It is very evident that he is afraid that he will be punished for speaking to me rudely.

"I would like to speak to Ayko – do you have more than one Ayko?"

He is rustling papers on his desk. "Oh, no. We only have one. I will connect you to him right away."

"And there will be no guards listening in, correct?"

"Yes. I will personally make sure of that myself."

"Good."

The line suddenly goes off and then reconnects. "Hello?" I hear Ayko's voice.

I cut off the synthesizer before I speak. "Ayko, it's me, Royce. I want you to listen to me very carefully. Right now, no one is listening to us. I am part of the police force – I'm am very high up. This is why no one is listening in on us."

Ayko starts laughing hysterically. "You – you – you're a part of the police force? Oh, God, that is hilarious. It's the funniest thing I've heard since…oh, in forever. You – the police force? That's like hiding in plain sight! I've got to give it to you, Royce, you are a lot smarter than I am – I would have never thought about that…" he slows off his laughing as he speaks.

"Yes, but that is not what I wanted to talk to you about. I met your mother and a girl named Natsuki…" I try to put a suggestive longing in my voice at the end. I wanted him to think I was interested – this way I could gauge his reaction.

I can't believe how snarky he sounds. "What, Royce? Do you like Natsuki? Are you interested?"

"No, but when I talked to them, she seems…to have a double meaning when she talks about you. I wondered if there was something behind that."

"Now why would you want to know if there is something behind her words?" he laughs, amused.

"Fine, you caught me." I try to sound abashed. "I didn't want to try and pursue Natsuki if you and her used to be a thing."

"No, don't worry about it. We were just close friends. It'd be cool if you guys got together. Especially since you don't seem like the dating type."

"Haha, very funny. Now why does she know about me?" I ask, my voice only slightly tight.

"Oh…she told you she knew? Sorry about that but we've been close since forever so I've always told her everything… Natsuki won't tell anyone. She is as good as a killer – she keeps her mouth shut." The way he says it would send shivers down many people's backs. I chew on my thumbnail and wonder why he would say it in such a dark fashion.

"It's okay, Ayko. I just wanted to know why." I leave out the part of how I am not a killer and both of them are mistaken.

"She also told me that you had more victims that the police didn't find…" I try to keep the interest curbed in my voice.

"Oh, yeah, haha. I would tell you where the rotting bodies are, but I'm not so sure myself." He has a slightly taunting edge in his voice.

"What do you mean?" I mean to make my voice sound excited and more than eager to know. I just wanted to know the body count, but he could make out my enthusiasm any way he wanted.

"Well, that's just say that I didn't kill those few girls… they were just 'hurt' and I let them loose to the wild. Nature did the rest. I don't even know how many of them died…but I bet all." His voice sounds mischievous. And slightly neurotic.

I cough slightly and let out a laugh. It sounds slightly wild but it could be thought of as true. "Oh, that's nice – trust me, I won't tell anyone I work with. I'll talk to you later."

"I'd say see you but I don't think you're stupid enough to get yourself trapped in here." The line goes dead and I put the phone down.

The one thing on my mind is whether it is really important to find those girls bodies since the case is already done.


	11. It's insanity

"Everything is in place, sir." Watari says to me two days later. I watch Light sit with his head hanging. His hands are behind his back due to the handcuffs and I can see him breathing.

"Good. In two days we will give Mr. Yagami the keys and get Misa and Light out of their confinements." I say.

"And what do we doing while waiting?"

"I have something else I need to clean up – another case. It should be done before two days."

"And if it isn't?"

"Then I will hand it over to the police force."

He is quiet; he knows that I am lying. I won't hand it up – I will wait until I can attack the case again. He knows this since he's been with me for so long.

"Of course, sir." He turns quietly and leaves the room. I stand, staring out the window for a few more seconds. I then turn and leave; I go to Hiroko's house.

The air is still; its pressing down on me. I think it is going to rain. I get to her house quickly – now knowing the way. I stand outside her house, knowing that Natsuki is gone. The burgundy van isn't here.

I knock on the door, only having to wait a few seconds before the door opens. Hiroko sticks her head out and smiles when she sees me. "Oh! Royce! Well, I wasn't expecting you but please come in, come in."

She opens the door wide, and I step in. Hiroko leads me to her living room, where I sit down on a recliner and she shuffles to her kitchen. She comes back with some shortcake. I take one of the platters she is holding, and a fork.

"So tell me why you came." She says as I dig into the cake. She takes a bite and waits patiently for me to finish chewing. I swallow.

"I wanted to ask you about Natsuki…" I say awkwardly.

"Oh, sweetheart, I thought something was going on. Natsuki has been acting strange… I knew it was because she had feelings for you so I'm glad it isn't one sided."

"She's been acting strange?" I lean towards her, putting the platter with half eaten cake down on the coffee table. She nods, having a piece of cake in her mouth. She swallows and hold a hand to her mouth, coughing into it.

"Yes, she's been extremely fidgety, and hasn't been sleeping. She sometimes laughs randomly and quite nervously without any prodding. Her eyes are never still, and she seems really giddy. I guess it's love."

_It's insanity. _

"Oh, well, I didn't expect her to be such a nervous one – she held herself in such poise the first time I met her, despite her dropping the plates." _Just keep lying. _

"Yes, usually she is a lot more…collected." She smiles knowingly.

I hear a phone trill, somewhere upstairs. "Oh! I'll be right back – I need to see who that is."

She stands up and shuffles out. I try to keep my eyelids from drooping; I had barely slept for two weeks. I was too busy watching Light and Misa and wondering about those rotting girls' bodies to have slept.

My eyes droop and I feel my head lay softly on my knees. I feel warmth vibrate in my body. My eyes focus on one of the dolls and my vision slowly fades.


	12. Strawberry Shortcake

**A/N: This is the last chapter of Strawberry Shortcake. I hope everyone who took the time to read it has thoroughly enjoyed it and if you have not taken the time to review yet I ask you to. I just want to know what everyone thought of this as a story. Thanks!**

I wake up with a start, a quilt wrapped around my shoulders. The lights were turned off and I noticed that there was no light coming from the windows. I stand up, the quilt slipping off of me and onto the recliner

"Oh, Rooyycceee…" I hear a chilling voice call my alias in a singing voice. It's definitely not Hiroko – though I wonder if it was her that put the quilt over me. "I thought I heard you wake up." The voice cuts at the end and a dark figure comes into the room.

Natsuki.

She's holding a knife like a protective mother. I can't help but notice the running blood on her forearms. As in, both forearms. "What happened?" I ask, my eyes focused on the drying blood on her arms.

"She knew too much, I had to… she would have ruined it all… I had to…" She's talking about Hiroko. She killed Hiroko. Her head drops, her hair falling in front of her face. She shakes her head to and fro repeatedly, her voice becoming breathy in the end.

"Natsuki, put the knife down. She's gone now – she can't ruin it. So you can put the blade down now." I say gesturing my hands downwards.

"No, she can't… I can't… I can't let you leave Royce." She says, her head snapping up. I straighten out my stance, making sure my body is steady. I had a feeling that she may try to attack me.

"Yes, you can. Who am I going to tell? Think about it, Natsuki…" I trail off, trying to figure out the way I could keep her from trying to stab me.

She hesitates for a moment, and then I see her eyes go to flint. Her hand tightens on the blade's handle and she says, "No, I can't. You work in the police. I can't trust you – I think you were the one who told L that Ayko was the killer. How do I know that when you walk out of the door you aren't going to get the police to come back?"

Natsuki stumbles to the left, starting to circle me. I follow her with my eyes. She breaks off of her circling and stands next to the recliner. Her eyes fall on the quilt.

"Do you like the quilt? I knitted it myself." Her voice is soft; she sounds like she is remembering. I don't know why she is talking about the quilt but I don't say anything. "It was Ayko's favorite… I made it for his birthday." She smiles.

"He was my best friend all through school. Hiroko use to watch me – my parents were always away. My home wasn't mine; it was Ayko's. He was so natural at making friends and I… wasn't." her eyes glance up at me quickly, falling back to the quilt sadly.

"I would always do as he told me – I mean, he was my only friend. I told my parents… I told them our cat got ran over by a car one time when they were away. I never told anyone the look I saw… the look of pure power I saw in Ayko's eyes." She looks back at me.

"I saw the same look in your eyes – pure power. It was so intensified in his, especially when he was upset. The only difference between you and him is that, when it was in his eyes it gave me such a rush of… fear but with you, I almost think _I_ can overpower _you_." Her head cocks, that smile that was on her face the first time she lost it in front of me came back.

She pulls in a deep breath and rockets herself towards me. The knife comes flying and I work to stay out of its way. I grab her arm, trying to keep my balance. She shrieks, scared that I'm going to take it out of her hand and stab her with it.

Natsuki starts scrambling, thrusting her body every which direction, trying to get out of my hold. I grab her other arm when she tries to hit me with it. Her fingers go to claw me, just inches away from my skin. I hold her arm with the blade, squeezing it tight. I feel my knuckles go white and I know it's going to leave a bruise on her.

She screams and drops the knife. I relax my grip somewhat, but she still struggles to get free. The knife makes a muted thud on the carpet and I kick it to the side. She tries to kick me – she even tries throwing herself at me.

This frees her right hand and she strikes it hard against the left of my face. I feel it smart good. She hits me again and I can't get a good grip on her arm. Her arm is flaying everywhere so I use her other arm to shake her. She still doesn't calm so I throw her away from me.

She loses her balance and falls into the coffee table. Her head grazes the edge of it and she hits the ground hard, but the impact is muffled. Her body is still and I kneel down, but I'm careful.

I turn her head – she's unconscious, but alive. A thick stream of blood pours from a wound on her head. I let her head fall back onto the ground – she's already going to have a headache; I can't do much more damage to her head.

I stand up and go to the kitchen. A doll stares from the top of the fridge. I go to the phone attached to the wall and phone Watari. "Hello?" he picks up on the second ring.

"Watari – it's L." I say quickly.

"What can I do for you, sir?" He immediately accepts my explanation.

"I need you to call the actual police force and tell them that a woman has told a friend that she was going to murder the older woman she lives with. Your friend was scared to go to the police in case the woman tried to attack him as well. It's Ayko's old home." I tell him in a rush.

"I understand, sir. I will do as you ask now." He says, already knowing who I meant by Ayko – he was there with me when I did that case as well. I walk out of the house and sigh, feeling defeated. I know I will never find out where those women were.

Watari purchased a new phone a few days after he called the police. I am chained to Light – just to keep an eye on him. My theory failed since he didn't kill his father. However, I still think he may somehow be connected to Kira so I am keeping a close eye on him and Misa is being watched as well.

Hiroko was deemed dead upon the scene of the crime. Natsuki was holding onto life and the paramedics took her to a hospital that was joint-connected to a prison. The wound to her head kept her in a coma for two days.

The third day, today, she woke up. She was awake for six hours and then died from internal bleeding in her brain. The doctors did not see it when they checked her brain. She died at eight o'clock tonight.

I look at the wall – eleven thirty. Light is sleeping on the couch next to me, quiet. I look down at my hands. _Ayko and Natsuki aren't wrong now. I am a killer._

I phone Watari, though he is just a few rooms away from me. "Yes, sir?" He ask, ever patient with me.

"Will you bring me some strawberry shortcake?" I keep my voice quiet , remembering how I never finished Hiroko's cake.

"Of course, sir." The phone goes dead.


End file.
